History

1988-1994: A.T.B.A.N Klann

In 1988, will.i.am (formerly Will 1X), began rapping in clubs in East L.A. with apl.de.ap, who had moved from the Philippines. The duo teamed up with DJ Motiv8, a DJ and producer in East L.A, and rapper Mooky Mook to form a group called A.T.B.A.N Klann. The group was signed to Ruthless Records, a company by Eazy-E in 1992, and made their debut as a featured artist on the track, Merry Muthaphuckin' Xmas, a song from one of Eazy-E's EP's. Soon after, the group recorded their debut album, Grass Roots, which was set to release on October 6th, 1994. The album took use of a selected number of additional vocalists, including Dante Santiago, Mr. Shaw, and Dandelion, who sang on multiple tracks, and Huck Finn and Longevity who sang on 1 track each. The album was never released, as Eazy-E passed away from aids in 1995. The group decided to make some changes to their group, as they were dropped from Ruthless Records in 1995.

1995-2001: Behind the Front and Bridging the Gap

In 1995, will.i.am, apl.de.ap, DJ Motiv8, and Dante Santiago, formed a new group named Black Eyed Pods, later renamed to Black Eyed Peas. Taboo replaced Mooky Mook, as he went to pursue a career with his new band, Burning Star. Also, Kim Hill joined the group as the lead female vocalist. Unlike the "gangsta rap" sounds of Los Angeles-based hip hop acts at the time, the trio performed with a live band, which included guitarist Keven Feyen, keyboardist Brian Lapin, bass player Mike Fratantuno, and drummer Terrence Yoshiaki. The group's DJ was DJ Motiv8, one of the founders of the group. The groups first album was released in 1998, titled Behind the Front. One of the singles from the album, Joints and Jam, went on to reach #53 on the UK Billboard Charts.

After a critically acclaimed album, the group released their second album, Bridging the Gap. This album introduced us to new guitarist, George Pajon, and new keyboardist/hornist, Printz Board, who replaced Kevin Feyen and Brian Lapin. Between the 2 albums, 13 guest vocalists appeared. Some of the standouts include, Wyclef Jean who featured on Rap Song from Bridging the Gap, Macy Gray who featured on Love Won't Wait, Request + Line, and Beautiful People from Behind the Front and Bridging the Gap, and Sierra Swan who featured on Fallin' Up, also from Behind the Front. Esthero joined the group as the additional lead female vocalist, and then Macy Gray joined for a short period of time. While producing Bridging the Gap, Kim Hill left the band. She still featured on a majority of the songs off the album.

2002-2006: Elephunk, Monkey Business, and Addition of Fergie

In 2002, the group began to look for a replacement for Kim Hill. The group wanted Nicole Scherzinger to join the group, but her band didn't allow it due to her current contract status. Fergie was chosen in 2002, introduced to the group by Dante Santiago and Roycel. As well, Tim Orindgreff joined the group as a hornist and guitarist, and Keith Harris joined the group as a drummer and keyboardist. The groups third album, Elephunk, was released in 2003, and one of the tracks Where Is the Love? reached #8 on the U.S. Hot 100 Charts. The song featured Justin Timberlake, and was the one of the group's biggest successes. Another single from the album was titled "Let's Get It Started". It won a 2005 Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group and also received two nominations for Record of the Year and Best Rap Song. In 2004, the Black Eyed Peas embarked on the Elephunk Tour, hitting many countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Their fourth album, Monkey Business, was recorded through 2004 and was released on June 7, 2005. Much of the pre-production writing was performed on the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus while on the Black Eyed Peas tour of 2004. The album's first single, "Don't Phunk with My Heart", was a hit in the U.S., reaching number three on the U.S. Hot 100. The spot the song reached was the highest peak yet of their career in the U.S. (this was later broken when "Boom Boom Pow" peaked at the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100) and earned them another Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. The last commercially released single from the album was "Pump It", which borrows much of its sound from "Misirlou", specifically Dick Dale's version; it peaked at number 8 in Australia but 18 in America.

2007-2011: The E.N.D and The Beginning

The group took a hiatus from making music after Monkey Business in 2005. Fergie and will.i.am both released solo albums during this time. In 2008, the group began to record The E.N.D. All band members returned, and all co-wrote multiple songs on the album. Additionally, Poet Named Life joined the tour for the album as the DJ, and co-produced "Boom Boom Pow" and co-wrote Rock That Body. The E.N.D was released in 2009, and The Beginning was released in 2010. Both were major successes. Mooky Mook rejoined the group as a songwriter for The Beginning. On the July 6, 2011 during a concert at Alton Towers in Staffordshire, the Black Eyed Peas announced they were taking an indefinite hiatus following the completion of their current tour. will.i.am later confirmed the news on Twitter, adding that the break does not mean they will "stop creating".^[23] On November 23, 2011, the group made their last performance for The Beginning Tour in Miami with opening acts including CeeLo Green and Queen Latifah.

2012-present: Masters of the Sun Vol. 1 and Translation

On August 31, 2016, the Black Eyed Peas released a new version of their song "Where Is the Love?". The song is titled #WHERESTHELOVE and is credited to "The Black Eyed Peas featuring The World". The song as well as the accompanying video feature all four members of the group, will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo, and Fergie, and many other popular artists such as Justin Timberlake, DJ Khaled, and Nicole Scherzinger. It is the group's most recent work with Fergie, and her last live performance with them happened in 2015. Fergie left the group in 2016, and the group began to release singles for their new album, Masters of the Sun Vol. 1.

The album, Masters of the Sun Vol. 1, was released on October 26th, 2018. This is their first album since 2010's The Beginning; and the first as a trio, without Fergie, since 2000. Former The Voice of the Philippines season 1 finalist and Team apl.de.ap member J Rey Soul, joined the group, replacing Fergie. She featured on 10 out of the 12 tracks on Masters of the Sun Vol. 1. Mooky Mook remained with the group and co-wrote multiple songs for Masters of the Sun Vol. 1. He also co-produced All Around the World. The album is considered to be a sequel to Bridging the Gap. Dante Santiago helped with the album in the beginning writing processes, and DJ Motiv8 co-produced Ring the Alarm pt.1, pt.2, pt.3. The group went on their Masters of the Sun tour, and were joined by only one returning band member, Keith Harris. Delvyn Brumfield, Erick Walls, and Cheltune, joined the group on tour as band members. In 2019, the group began to release singles for their 8th studio album. will.i.am was a guest on the TV Show, Songland, and after his week on the show, the group released the winning song from the show, "Be Nice", which featured Snoop Dogg. The track however is not featured on the album. The group featured on the song Mami, with Piso 21, and recorded the song "eXplosion" featuring Anitta. Both tracks did not feature on the album. The next single, RITMO (Bad Boys for Life), reached #26 on the Billboard Charts. It was the best performance on the charts by the group since 2010. The song was a collaboration with J Balvin. In 2020, the group released Mamacita, which featured Ozuna. It was the first single for the new album to feature J Rey Soul, and she was credited as a featured artist. The third and final single for the album, No Manana, was released on June 12th, 2020, and the groups 8th studio album, Translation, was released on June 19th, 2020. The album features many collaborations, including Shakira, Nicky Jam, and Becky G. As well, J Rey Soul provides vocals on multiple tracks off the album, and is credited as a featured artist on 2 songs.

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